And what do you see?
by ThatDestructiveRaider
Summary: " 'All he sees is your tits and your ass.' 'And what do you see' " Lara's cousin - Eric, had left too early and she wonders why. Zip enlightens her of the situation and their conversation changes entirely. Confessions and fluff. Set some time between Legend and Underworld.


'And what do you see?'

'Why the hell did Eric leave this morning?' Lara asked confused and then sighed. 'He's the only family member of mine with whom I kept in touch... He didn't even inform me, he didn't even say goodbye...'

Zip smirked slightly as he heard that the man was gone and turned around clearing his throat and erasing his satisfied expression.

'He left? This means his guilt won over his machiavellianity, either that or he was clever enough not to arouse my anger... Or both.' The hacker stated casually before walking over to the desk in the library which had a PC placed on it. He had let his nearly shoulder-length, curly raven hair down(he had removed the small braids he usually wore it in; they were sometimes confused for dreads) and constantly blew some bangs off of his forehead. Lara blinked and as her interlocutor turned to face her he was surprised it was physically possible for somebody to raise their eyebrows so high.

'I'm sorry... What did you say? Arouse your anger?' The look in the raider's eyes was almost threatening but Zip's amber ones were too distracting for her own good. And they didn't back down for a second.

'Why would he 'arouse your anger'? What in the hell did you do?'

The man before her allowed himself a slow smirk.

'Well... Let me just say that, first of all, he had come here to sneak information for your rights to own the manor for the sake of your beloved uncle Errol. That and to check you out every time you turned your back on him. So... I gave him a friendly, warm warning to walk his ass as far away from the mansion as humanly possible. Since he doesn't even have a car.' The American snorted. 'What a scrub.'

The raider listened to everything with wide eyes and opened her mouth to say something but closed it and looked around before hissing. 'He's my bloody cousin.' She didn't sound angry at her assistant for kicking him out but rather disgusted by thought of Eric being attracted to her. Lara didn't ask Zip what made him think that way about her relative; she didn't doubt his words. She trusted him. Zachariah looked at her pointedly.

'He doesn't see it that way.' The young man stated simply as he faced the computer and turned it on. 'All he sees is your tits and your ass.' The hacker spoke boldly not concerned about his friend's reaction. 'Besides I'm surprised you confided in the son of the man who almost took every property, which is rightfully yours, away from you.' His voice was slightly mocking but not in an offensive, insolent way.

The room was ruled by an odd silence, which rarely occurred whilst the two of them were together, and the hacker studied his boss for some time before rewarding the PC with his full attention and clicking the mouse without sitting down.

He did so until she spoke quietly:

'And what do _you_ see?'

Zip turned around toward her once again, his unshakable, striking eyes surprised and slightly confused. Sure, the man was very clever and quick-witted but sometimes rather oblivious. Then it hit him what she meant; what her question was _exactly._ Lara had gotten closer, just a few inches away from her tech man. Her russet-brown eyes were serious and challenging, also slightly playful; _his favourite combination_.

'What do you see, Zip?' The raider pushed, her voice soft but demanding.

The American blinked and cleared his throat to gain some of his composure back. _"_ _Damn._ _"_ He thought. _"_ _She really knows how to play men, doesn't she?_ _"_

She tilted her head to the side, a seemingly innocent look in her eyes. He knew what was hiding underneath the deceiving disguise though.

 _Persuasiveness._

 _Challenge._

 _Curiosity._

 _Untouchability._

 _But... Real interest and even some affection._

Zip smiled faintly.

'I see...' He was choosing his words carefully but spoke with honesty and admiration. 'I see a very beautiful, strong, brave, independent , cunning and sarcastic woman who overcomes every obstacle that crosses her way without question and without complaints. A rebellious, stubborn and reckless girl that enjoys playing around and risking a lot for the sake of the thrill and adventure. But I also see a vulnerable, kind and compassionate aristocrat who has to allow herself to be weak sometimes... And who would do anything to help someone in need. I see someone I appreciate and admire with all my heart.' His voice was steady and calm, the usual humour and sarcasm it carried had faded while he was speaking. His playful amber eyes shone with affection and he was smiling kindly.

If his words surprised Lara, she didn't show it by much, only with a slight widening of her eyes. The raider looked down for a second; her lips turned upwards. Zip noticed her cheeks were slightly flushed.

'Hm... Well... That's good to know.' The countess whispered, narrowing the space between them drastically before suddenly walking away from him.

The hacker rose an eyebrow. His mind was racing faster than it was while he was hacking FBI because of boredom.

" _She's not the only persuasive one here._ _"_

He wasn't letting her get away so easily this time.

'And you? What do you see?'

Lara turned around to face him, an unreadable expression on her face.

'In what sense?'

Zip walked closer to her. She didn't move away. His eyes walked every inch of her perfect face and stopped at her russet-brown ones.

'What is it that you saw in the boy with love for technology who escaped the New York hood really young and looked for himself his entire life to have him stand by your side, Lara?'

Her breath got caught in her throat and she sensed how her chest tightened.

The look Zachariah was giving her said that he wouldn't let her go until she gave him a proper answer.

Strangely enough, the raider enjoyed being held captive by those intense eyes of his.

She inhaled before smiling slightly.

'Well... I see a man who I really-'

'Lara! I deciphered the map Professor Eddington gave you! I think we are onto a big-' Alister's chipper voice filled their ears and they were both surprised none had heard him walk into the library. The historian stopped talking and advancing on them with a look of wonderment as he noticed how close his friends were standing next to each other. His expressive blue eyes travelled his colleague's rather furious face and his boss' shocked one. The British man piped up suddenly:

'What are-'

'Great work, Alister. You've earned some rest. Thank you for doing this for me. I'll check it out straight away, wait for me downstairs.' The raider intercepted before giving him a lopsided smile, which meant that she was grateful but would rather be left alone and the historian never dared to argue with Miss Croft's wishes. He simply nodded and glanced at Zip before spinning around and quickly tripping out of the huge room.

The young woman kept her eyes fixed on the direction, in which her assistant went for a long while before turning her attention back to the hacker. She realized they hadn't moved away from each other whatsoever. Studying his amber eyes the raider suddenly smirked and turned away from him, her long, auburn hair hitting his nose lightly.

Zip blinked and gawked at her. He felt slight anger take over his body.

 _No. She wasn't getting it her way. Not this time._

He caught her by the wrist an turned her back around to face him but as his full lips parted, ready to speak Lara's red, soft ones pressed to them firmly, taking him aback completely. Amber eyes widened in surprise and soon closed with happiness. Strong, masculine arms wrapped around a petite but fit body, gentle hands touched a long neck.

Zip kissed her passionately and deeply but not too suggestively and sexually. Lara answered with the same strength and fervor.

After a short while the raider pulled away smiling in a way her tech man had never seen her smile before. He couldn't quite deduce what it meant but knew that it was something good. _She seemed happy and that itself was enough to make him happy._

'I'll tell you what I see in _Zachariah_ some other time. For now I hope he is satisfied with my meaningful gesture.' The raider whispered softly, seductively before brushing her lips across his feather-lightly and walking away from him slowly, letting her hand linger on his for a bit before separating from him completely.

Zip just stared at her, stunned and slightly shocked but sensed his lips curling into a goofy smile.

'I'll tell you whenever I locate the island, Lady Croft.' He said jokingly before adding. 'Feel free to join me any time you wish.'

Lara turned around and smiled at him.

'Thank you, Zip.' She said casually as if nothing had just happened between them but her eyes spoke instead.

The tech man nodded and winked at her pointedly.

As his boss left, the American's gaze stopped at the computer. He sat on the chair and began typing quickly, ceasing only to touch his lips and smile.

 _''I see a start of a new adventure._ _"_

 **What can I say I really love this pairing and there are sadly not enough fanfictions of them, so I decided to do something about it. I am a hundred percent sure I'll write more ZxL fics in the future, so stay tuned. :D Also, do expect the "Angels of Darkness and ones of Light" sequel this summer; I know I said I'd write it "soon" a few months ago but I am near the middle of the fic. Thanks for reading!**


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